Substance profile
Butyl chloroformate
Butyl chloroformate: n-butyl chloroformate appears as a colorless liquid.
01 · Identification
What Butyl chloroformate is
Butyl chloroformate: n-butyl chloroformate appears as a colorless liquid. Its molecular formula is C5H9ClO2 and its molecular weight is 136.58 g/mol. It boils at 138 °C.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Danger. It is classed as corrosives.
02 · Identifiers
Butyl chloroformate identifiers and molecular data
Butyl chloroformate CAS number and EC number
Butyl chloroformate molecular formula and molecular weight
Other names for Butyl chloroformate
- chloroformic acid butyl ester
03 · GHS classification
Butyl chloroformate hazard classification
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
Butyl chloroformate pictograms and signal word
Butyl chloroformate hazard class and category
| Hazard class | Category | From code | Pictogram |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flammable liquids GHS chapter 2.6 | Category 3 | H226 | GHS02 |
| Acute toxicity - inhalation GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 3 | H331 | GHS06 |
| Skin corrosion/irritation GHS chapter 3.2 | Category 1A or 1B or 1C | H314 | GHS05 |
Where two values are shown with “or”, the hazard statement is shared by more than one category or by more than one class, and the code alone does not say which. H272, for example, belongs to oxidising liquids and to oxidising solids — the physical state decides. The binding answer for a specific entry is in the CLP Annex VI table itself.
Butyl chloroformate hazard statements (H-codes)
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H226 | Flammable liquid and vapour. |
| H331 | Toxic if inhaled. |
| H314 | Causes severe skin burns and eye damage. |
This page lists only the codes assigned to Butyl chloroformate. The full reference lives on the hazard statements hub, the precautionary statements hub and the GHS pictograms hub.
Safety Data Sheet
Getting an SDS for Butyl chloroformate
A Safety Data Sheet is written for a product, not for a substance: the supplier of the grade you actually buy issues it, so two suppliers of Butyl chloroformate issue two different sheets. That is why there is no single authoritative SDS for a substance to download — what there is, is the job of collecting the sheets for the products you hold and keeping them current as suppliers revise them.
04 · Precautionary statements
Butyl chloroformate precautionary statements
CLP Annex VI assigns 12 precautionary statements to Butyl chloroformate. They are grouped the way a label groups them: what to do before handling, what to do when something has already happened, how to store it and how to dispose of it.
Prevention
What to do before and during handling so the hazard never happens.
Response
What to do once exposure, spillage or fire has already happened.
Reading the notation. … is a blank the supplier fills in — not a truncated sentence.· [square brackets] mark a part printed only when it applies.
05 · Names in the regulation
Butyl chloroformate name in 23 EU languages
CLP Annex VI Part 3 is published in every language edition of the regulation, and the identification column is written out in each of them. Nothing below is translated by us: each line is the name as that edition prints it. Under Art. 18(2) the substance name from Annex VI is a lawful product identifier, so this is the wording to put on a label going to that market — and where the cell lists several designations, any one of them qualifies.
| Language | Name in CLP Annex VI Part 3 |
|---|---|
| Bulgarian български | бутилов хлороформат бутилов естер на хлоромравчената киселина |
| Spanish español | Cloroformiato de butilo éster butílico del ácido clorofórmico |
| Czech čeština | butyl-chlorformiát butylester chlormravenčí kyseliny |
| Danish dansk | butylchlorformiat chlormyresyrebutylester |
| German Deutsch | Butylchlorformiat Chlorameisensäurebutylester |
| Estonian eesti | butüülkloroformiaat klorosipelghappe butüülester |
| Greek ελληνικά | χλωροφορμικός βουτυλεστέρας χλωροφορμικό βουτύλιοβουτυλεστέρας του χλωροφορμικού οξέος |
| English English | butyl chloroformate chloroformic acid butyl ester |
| French français | chloroformiate de butyle butylester de l'acide chloroformique |
| Croatian hrvatski | butil-klorformijat butil-ester klormravlje kiseline |
| Italian italiano | butile cloroformiato |
| Latvian latviešu | butilhlorformiāts hlorskudrskābes butilesteris |
| Lithuanian lietuvių | butilchlorformiatas chlorskruzdžių rūgšties butilesteris |
| Hungarian magyar | butil-klórformiát klórhangyasav-butil-észter |
| Maltese Malti | kloroformat tal-butil ester tal-buil tal-aċidu kloroformiku |
| Dutch Nederlands | butylchloorformiaat chloormierenzuur, butylester |
| Polish polski | chloromrówczan butylu ester butylowy kwasu chloromrówkowego |
| Portuguese português | cloroformiato de butilo éster butílico de ácido clorofórmico |
| Romanian română | cloroformat de butil ester butilic al acidului cloroformic |
| Slovak slovenčina | butyl-chlórmetanoát butylester kyseliny chlórmetánovej |
| Slovenian slovenščina | butil kloroformat butilni ester kloromravljinčne kisline |
| Finnish suomi | butyyliklooriformiaatti kloorimuurahaishappo, butyyliesteri |
| Swedish svenska | butylklorformiat klormetansyrabutylester |
All 23 language editions of Annex VI carry this entry. Irish is the twenty-fourth official EU language and has no line here for a different reason: no consolidated CLP text has ever been published in Irish, so there is no Irish edition of Annex VI to quote a name from. Source: consolidated CLP, CELEX 02008R1272, language editions. © European Union, https://eur-lex.europa.eu — only the electronic Official Journal of the European Union is authentic.
06 · Label elements
Butyl chloroformate GHS label elements
Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Butyl chloroformate, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.
Danger
Butyl chloroformate
- Flammable liquid and vapour.
- Toxic if inhaled.
- Causes severe skin burns and eye damage.
- Keep away from heat, hot surfaces, sparks, open flames and other ignition sources. No smoking.
- Keep container tightly closed.
- Use explosion-proof [electrical/ventilating/lighting/…] equipment.
- Use only non-sparking tools.
- Do not breathe dust/fume/gas/mist/vapours/spray.
- Use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
- Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection/hearing protection/…
- IF SWALLOWED:
- IF INHALED:
- Immediately call a POISON CENTER/doctor/…
- Do NOT induce vomiting.
- Store in a well-ventilated place.
Supplier name, address and telephone number· Product identifier·Nominal quantity
Need this as an actual label? Open Butyl chloroformate in the GHS label constructor →
07 · Health hazards
Butyl chloroformate health hazards and exposure limits
Butyl chloroformate hazard summary
A skin, eye, and respiratory tract irritant; May cause pulmonary edema and burns to the eyes and skin; [ICSC] A corrosive substance that can cause injury to the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract; Inhalation may cause chemical pneumonitis; [MSDSonline] See CHLOROFORMATES.
Source: Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases
08 · Physical and chemical properties
Butyl chloroformate properties
Every value is shown with the conditions it was measured under and the source it came from. Where sources disagree, all values are listed rather than one being picked — the difference is usually a different form of the substance, not an error.
Butyl chloroformate boiling point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boiling point | 138 °C (280.4 °F) | at 760 mmHg | CAMEO |
| 142 °C (287.6 °F) | at 760 mmHg | DOE PAC | |
| 141.5 °C (286.7 °F) | range, midpoint shown | ICSC |
Butyl chloroformate density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 1.06 g/cm³ | ICSC | |
| 1.0513 g/cm³ | at 20 °C | CAMEO | |
| 1.074 g/cm³ | at 25 °C | DOE PAC |
Butyl chloroformate solubility
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solubility | Solubility in water: reaction | ICSC |
Butyl chloroformate vapor pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor pressure | 5.4004 mmHg | at 20 °C | ICSC |
| 5.4 mmHg | Haz-Map |
Butyl chloroformate flash point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flash point | 25 °C (77 °F) | CAMEO | |
| 30 °C (86 °F) | ICSC |
Butyl chloroformate autoignition temperature
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autoignition temperature | 285 °C (545 °F) | ICSC |
Butyl chloroformate vapor density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor density | 4.72 (air = 1) | ICSC |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
09 · Handling and storage
Butyl chloroformate storage and handling
Butyl chloroformate safe storage
Fireproof. Dry. Well closed. Provision to contain effluent from fire extinguishing. Separated from food and feedstuffs. Store in an area without drain or sewer access.
Source: ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Butyl chloroformate reactivity
N-BUTYL CHLOROFORMATE is incompatible with bases (including amines), with water, with strong oxidizing agents, with alcohols. May react vigorously or explosively if mixed with diisopropyl ether or other ethers in the presence of trace amounts of metal salts [J. Haz. Mat., 1981, 4, 291].
Source: CAMEO Chemicals
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Butyl chloroformate in the storage compatibility matrix →
10 · Questions
Butyl chloroformate — frequently asked questions
What is the CAS number of Butyl chloroformate?
The CAS number of Butyl chloroformate is 592-34-7. Its EC number is 209-750-5.
What is the chemical formula of Butyl chloroformate?
The molecular formula of Butyl chloroformate is C5H9ClO2 and its molecular weight is 136.58 g/mol.
What does a Butyl chloroformate label have to show?
Under CLP Annex VI the label for Butyl chloroformate carries the pictograms Flame, Skull and crossbones and Corrosion and the signal word is Danger.
Is Butyl chloroformate flammable?
Yes. CLP Annex VI assigns Butyl chloroformate H226 — flammable liquid and vapour. The flash point reported for it is 25 °C (77 °F) (CAMEO).
Is Butyl chloroformate a carcinogen?
CLP Annex VI records no harmonised carcinogenicity classification for Butyl chloroformate. Annex VI is a list of agreed classifications, not a list of substances found safe, so this is an absence of a classification rather than a clean bill of health.
What is the boiling point of Butyl chloroformate?
The boiling point reported for Butyl chloroformate is 138 °C (280.4 °F), at 760 mmHg (CAMEO).
How should Butyl chloroformate be stored?
CLP Annex VI assigns Butyl chloroformate the storage statement P403.
Nearby
Substances next to Butyl chloroformate
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